The School of Bermuda - Volume 1 - The hunter's daughter

-1-

Karel stretched after parking his car in the driveway of his small house. It was good to be home. He spotted his neighbor on the doorstep and waved at him, receiving a friendly wave in return, then he entered his home.

It was very early on this August 29th, and yet, the eleven-year-old girl was already awake. Not having heard her father come home, she was immersed in her kitchen, preparing pancakes for breakfast. The adult smiled, observing her for a moment. She was still small enough to have to stand on a stool to easily reach the hotplates without risking spilling everything, yet her hair still touched the ground, except for two strands at the front, each held back by a small elastic.

Karel waited for her to finish cooking and finally place her plate on the table before coming up behind her and lifting her in his arms as a surprise.

His daughter let out a little mouse-like cry before throwing herself into his arms when he put her down.

"You're back, Daddy!" she exclaimed. "I missed you for five months!"

"I missed you too, Lili. Do you think there will be enough pancakes for two?"

The little girl nodded and sat down at the table next to her father, pouring an alarming amount of maple syrup on her pancakes.

"You're going to get sick," Karel remarked, grimacing, spreading a moderate amount of jam on his own. "You're putting way too much."

"There's never too much."

Karel just smiled, tousling his overly greedy daughter's head, and then followed a mundane discussion, asking her everything she had done in his absence.

"You know, I finished school, and I moved up to the next grade!" the preteen proudly announced. "So, I'm going to middle school!

"I'm proud of you, Lili, you always have excellent grades. Sorry I wasn't there for your birthday."

"I don't hold it against you. Martin gave me a gift, you know?"

"Oh really?"

"Yes, his mom bought him the new DS, so he gave me his old one with some games.

"That's nice. You know what? Today we're going to go into town, and you can choose whatever you want. It'll be my belated gift to you."

"I have you, that's enough for me."

"Don't be silly, hurry up and finish your plate."

Lili smiled and quickly finished her breakfast before running to her room to get dressed.

Karel rubbed his face. He had driven all night, but he could do this for his beloved daughter; he could take a nap in the afternoon. He put on his long black coat again and waited for Lili to join him so they could get in the car together, heading to the mall.

"I'll have to take a vacation during the school year," Karel thought aloud while parking. "That way, I can meet this little Martin you talk about so much."

"I don't talk about him that much."

"I hear his name every time I come home."

Lili stuck her tongue out at him before getting out of the car. Her father followed, taking her hand, and they both headed towards the store.

"So," Karel said. "Which department are we going to?

"Doll aisle!"

The adult laughed heartily, letting his daughter guide him to the aisle of her choice. She went straight to the end of the aisle and stood in front of a display of very slender dolls with disproportionately large heads but very gentle faces. Karel suspected his daughter had been admiring them for a while when she picked one, with long blonde hair and a blue princess dress, without any hesitation.